UK Crown Estate to Lease Offshore Sites for Wind-Power Testing

The U.K.’s Crown Estate, owner of
the country’s seabed, will lease sites to offshore wind testing
and demonstration projects to lure investment in the industry.

The program will include a leasing round for floating
offshore wind technology, non-grid connected projects and
variations to existing projects, the estate, which generates
income for Queen Elizabeth II, said today in an e-mailed
statement. It aims to increase market confidence and encourage
investment, it said.

“To unlock sustained growth in offshore wind we have to
demonstrate that technological advancements can drive down
costs,” Martin Simpson, head of new energy and technology at
the Crown Estate, said in the statement. Technologies including
turbines, foundations and cables will be tested, he said.

The U.K. is the world’s largest offshore wind market, with
as much as 73 percent of new capacity last year being installed
in Britain, according to the European Wind Energy Association.
It has a near 60 percent share of the European Union’s installed
capacity. The government is aiming for 18 gigawatts of capacity
by 2020.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Louise Downing in London at
ldowning4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Reed Landberg at
landberg@bloomberg.net